PQ Omnipedia: Canon Policy
There are three main categories of information contained in the articles of the wikipedia. The policies below show how to enter such information. Where an article contains more than one type of information, all of the appropriate policies should be followed. If you have any queries about these policies, feel free to ask about them on the talk page. Canon refers to the official body of work related to Police Quest originally published or officially licensed by Sierra (or currently Activision). These include the original 6 PQ games (and SWAT), any future sequels, PQ1VGA remake, other spinoff of games (Hoyle games, etc), and various assorted documentation and other officially endorsed PQ-related material (including Strategy Guides and hintbooks). However the reliability of individual sources may very. In general due to the nature of continuity between later games in the series and other source material, the original PQ1 is considered more reliable than the VGA remake (in relation to the original trilogy and order of release). The remake (and material related to it) is treated more as a 'reimagining/reboot' of the series (which resets the series to more 'present' times, it takes places in the mid-90s. whereas the original trilogy took place between 1980s and early 1990s. PQ1VGA is actually dated later in the 90s than PQ3 took place). In addition, the novels in The Police Quest Casebook are considered to be "ficticious stories based in the actions of the game series" (as they take many liberties from the versions of the story in the game), as such the games themselves take precedence within the articles. Most information from the casebook are regulated to sections within articles after the main information, or if enough information exists within seperate articles split from the main. This policy is based on SQ Omnipedia and GK canon policies. The following policies only refer to articles in the main namespace. Pages in other namespaces (such as Help, User or Talk) are not covered. Information Regarding Police Quest 1-6, Police Quest VGA (remake), SWAT 3 and 4, and associated documentation. Information regarding official games, manuals, and hint books are considered official and can be entered normally (with exception of The Police Quest Casebook where special rules apply). Any discrepencies can be pointed out in the "behind the scenes" section of the article. All articles must be referenced to the appropriate game or documentation as follows: Articles relating to only one game or source, or with only very general information Add the appropriate category to the end of the article. The categories are: Category:Adventure in Serenia/The Wizard and the Princess Category:PQ1 Category:PQ2 Category:PQ3 Category:PQ4 Category:PQ5 Category:PQ6 Category:SWAT3 Category:SWAT4 Category:TOBOPQ Category:PQC Articles where more than one game is referenced Each piece of information must be referenced to its particular game. This can be achieved by referring to particular eras within the text (e.g. the PQ1EGA era) or by using footnotes. For more information on creating footnotes, see . Police Quest VGA The remake is generally considered a reboot/reimagining of the first game. It is set in a separate timeline, and changes many of the character's names or genders. It is treated as a separate universe and timeline, and most of the material from it gets their own pages. The Police Quest Casebook The novels in Police Quest Casebook, are not meant to be exact retellings of the stories as portrayed in the games, but rather reimagine the stories in a new and original way (with alternative solutions to events seen in the game). As such the information is considered separate from the games. The information from the novels is not meant to be used as a 'guide' to solve the game. In some cases the information is put in its own page, or it may be inserted into Behind the Scenes sections or specific sections related to the PQ Casebook. The hintbook sections in the PQ Casebook, however, are based directly on the events and puzzle solutions as they occur in the games. These sections may be considered more reliable when citing solutions from the game. Information regarding fan fiction and fan games Fan fiction and fan games are disputed, and are simply not officially canon. It is unlikely that any decision could be made where all fans agree. For this reason, information on fan fiction and games is restricted and allowed only within the guidelines of the following policies: Fan fiction Fan fiction should be categorized as Category:Fan Fiction. A story should be relatively complete (containing at least a single chapter) and published on a website. Cancelled fan games and fan games that are on hold Cancelled fan games and fan games that are on hold are entitled to one article - no other information should be included in any other article. They must be categorised as Category:Fan games (cancelled). They are not to be listed on the Fan Material. Fan games whose work is in progress Fan games whose work is in progress must be categorised as Category:Fan games (work in progress. Fan games that are expected to be completed are classed as those that have their own website, have recent updates (every 2-3 months) and have provided some form screenshot or concept art. Fan games whose work in progress must follow the policies set out for fan games that are on hold (see above). That is entitled to one article, and no information should be included in any other article (unless a release is imminent). If updates are routine, it is also entitled to a link from the Fan Material (this will be set up by experienced omnipedia editors). If 2-3 months go by without an update the link may be removed. Released Fan Games Fan games that have been publically released are entitled to a Category of their own. This category must be a subcategory of Category:Fan Games. They are also entitled to a link from the Fan Material (this will be set up by experienced omnipedia editors). Articles where more than one fan fiction or fan game is referenced As the canonicity of fan games and fan fiction is disputed, a compromise has been reached. All information regarding sourced from fan games must be contained in its own section entitled "topic (unofficial)". If the material is substantial it may be split off to its own page. Articles relating to only one game Articles referring to only one game do not need to use the above heading. Instead they should include the template FanArticle. Example Usage: Which Produces: Meta and Non-Canon Information This includes: * Information that comes from fanfiction * Information containing speculation * Information about references to the real world * Any other meta and non-canon information If fan related material directly from fan fiction or fan games included in a canon topic should be put under the canon material in a section entitled "topic in the unofficial sources" (if it is specifically from a fan game, then sources could be replaced with "games"). Speculation from the fan community, information concerning the real world, etc, may be included in a "behind the scenes" section. Note: If an entire article is meta or non-canon, it is sufficient to post a smaller message at the top of the article, which should say something like this: Advertising Police Quest Omnipedia follows a policy similar to that of Wikipedia (though somewhat looser). But in general, keep in mind that Police Quest Omnipedia is not a soapbox, a battleground, or a vehicle for propaganda, advertising and showcasing. This applies to articles, categories, templates, talk page discussions, and user pages. Therefore, content hosted is not for: :1.Advocacy, propaganda, or recruitment of any kind: commercial, political, religious, sports-related, or otherwise. Of course, an article can report objectively about such things, as long as an attempt is made to describe the topic from a neutral point of view. You might wish to start a blog or visit a forum if you want to convince people of the merits of your favorite views. :2.Opinion pieces. Although some topics, particularly those concerning current affairs and politics, may stir passions and tempt people to "climb soapboxes" (for example, passionately advocate their pet point of view), wikia is not the medium for this. Articles must be balanced to put entries, especially for current events, in a reasonable perspective, and represent a neutral point of view. Furthermore, authors should strive to write articles that will not quickly become obsolete. :3.Scandal mongering, something "heard through the grapevine" or gossip. Articles and content about living people are required to meet an especially high standard, as they may otherwise be libellous or infringe the subjects' right to privacy. Articles should not be written purely to attack the reputation of another person. :4.Self-promotion. It can be tempting to write about yourself or projects in which you have a strong personal involvement. However, do remember that the standards for encyclopedic articles apply to such pages just like any other. This includes the requirement to maintain a neutral point of view, which is difficult when writing about yourself or about projects close to you. Creating overly abundant links and references to autobiographical sources is unacceptable. :5.Advertising. All information about companies and products are written in an objective and unbiased style. All article topics must be verifiable with independent, third-party sources, so articles about very small "garage" or local companies are typically unacceptable. External links to commercial organizations are acceptable if they identify major organizations which are the topic of the article. Wikia neither endorses organizations nor runs affiliate programs. Non-disruptive statements of opinion on internal policies and guidelines may be made on user pages, as they are relevant to the current and future operation of the project.